The Venus Flytrap: Mourning the Marina

That night, the oppari singer didn’t just stop singing when she was asked to. She wept as she stopped.
We were in a home with a small baby and no death in sight, only poetry. And still, she wept. Somebody took her in their arms and kissed her cheeks. Someone else brought her fruit.
Her work is [...]

Brilliant, Who Moi?

The very kind Orange Jammies bestowed me with a blog award. Thankee, thankee! *Bows/curtsies* :)
The point is to carry on the tag, so here goes…

The Brilliant Weblog award is a prize given to sites and blogs that are smart and brilliant both in their content and their design. The purpose of the prize is to [...]

The Burning Breast: Kannagi To Kovalan

I had a lovely Sunday morning. For one thing, I woke up early — I’m a heavy sleeper and am always inordinately proud of myself when I catch the sunrise. Also, it was the last day of Madras Week — phew! And although I was late, I managed to make it to Eric Miller/The World [...]

Endings and Beginnings

And Madras Week comes to a close. One exhibit, seven readings, a spoken word heritage walk, a fisherfolk song drama.
More. Soon.
I’m exhausted, and Chandroo is taking off for a whole week. So pix, etc, will be up in September.
—
Last night and today, it finally happened. What nobody tells you is just how much and just [...]

One More Day To Go

I’m exhausted — and we have one day left of Madras Week! Expect long recap with pictorial evidence sometime in the coming week, but for now just wanted to announce a spoken word event tomorrow morning IN ADDITION to our final sinful reading (Lust for last, obviously).
As you may know, I love persona poetry, and [...]

The Venus Flytrap: A Photo Negative Heart

I’ve heard of people planting the umbilical cords of their children in their backyards. I think this is a beautiful, poetic idea, with just the right amount of the macabre to make it a well-rounded celebration of life. An umbilical cord in sacred soil – the soil of home, so the body never forgets. I [...]

Featured On A Full Page (More Madras Week)

A full page in today’s Expresso! Knock aside the food listing and the film ad, and you have an article apiece about “The Sea Story” and the readings on the first night, the theme for which was Cities+Pride.
Five more nights to go! Yesterday’s was Cities+Envy, which went splendidly in spite of the rain and the [...]

Ergo, I Am Famous

So, last night went very well, but I’m rushing a column and simultaneously rushing to tonight’s reading, so we’ll talk about that later.
But I just had to come on here and say “OMG, The Hindu has file photos of me”.
Someone just told me she saw a picture of me in Ergo, so I looked up [...]

Mae West & Madras

No connection between the two (although I would be thrilled to bits if I could be the Mae West of Madras). It’s just that it was Mae West’s birthday today, and you should check out this interview of her. She was 83 at the time it was filmed (about four years before she died)! I [...]

The Venus Flytrap: Paradise In My Pocket

When people talk about ecological damage, what bothers me most is not that future generations will gradually have less and less to subsist on – I believe too much in abstract ideas to fear that. This is selfish, but I am saddened by the knowledge that even within my own lifetime, [...]

Travesty!

Someone had a launch of an Ojos de Brujo album right here in Chennai, and didn’t invite me! :(

Poem

Published for the first time online (to my knowledge, at least), the poem that much, much experience shows is probably your favourite from me. With notes to boot!

MADRAS WEEK AT VANILLA PLACE

Celebrate Madras/Chennai city’s 369th birthday with seven evenings of photography, folksongs and poetry! Seven nights of still life, song and sinful spoken word, saluting our city by the sea.
August 18 2008 – August 24 2008
MADRAS WEEK EVENTS AT VANILLA PLACE, MYLAPORE
CURATED BY CHANDRACHOODAN GOPALAKRISHNAN
AND SHARANYA MANIVANNAN,
WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF THE WORLD STORYTELLING INSTITUTE.

PHOTO EXHIBITION AND [...]